The Brother Speed Motorcycle Club is a "one-percenter" motorcycle gang that was formed in Boise, Idaho in 1969, but now has its mother chapter in Portland, Oregon. Brother Speed was established by a group of high school friends who rode motorcycles together. The friends noticed an increase in motorcycles in the area and decided to run a newspaper ad looking for anyone interested in riding together and starting a motorcycle club. A meeting was organized with approximately 20 people attending the first meeting. A few weeks after the first meeting, the group came up with the name, "Brother Speed". The club's insignia is a winged skull with sunglasses and its "colors" are black and gold. There are around 150 Brother Speed members and there are eight chapters spread across Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Utah. It is one of the "big five" motorcycle clubs in Oregon, alongside the Vagos, Free Souls, Gypsy Jokers and the Outsiders. Members must be male, at least 21 years of age and own an American-made motorcycle.

Criminal activities

On October 21, 2008, a Brother Speed member was charged with concealing a dangerous weapon after his car was pulled over by police in Eugene, Oregon. Police found a box of ammunition and two hand guns in the car. An Outsiders member and a Gypsy Joker were also riding in the vehicle at the time.

Oregon State Police: One lane northbound is now open following a multi-vehicle crash involving 26 motorcycles and two passenger vehicles northbound Interstate 5 near the Baldock Rest Area south of Wilsonville. Two motorcyclists taken by LifeFlight with critical injuries and eight others transported by ground ambulance to area hospitals.

Preliminary information indicates on September 18, 2009 at approximately 2:45 p.m. a group of at least 26 motorcyclists were northbound in the left lane on Interstate 5 near milepost 22 following a passenger vehicle when traffic ahead began slowing. The car and motorcyclists all tried to slow but collided with one another. A vehicle in the middle northbound lane was reportedly struck by one of the motorcycles.

All northbound lanes were closed until about 4:00 p.m. Traffic is reported slow but getting through in one lane. Southbound lanes are open but also very slow.

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Brother Speed MC video

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Members of the Brother Speed outlaw motorcycle club rolled into a bloody 26-bike crash on Interstate 5 north Friday afternoon, south of Wilsonville

"When we arrived on scene, it was ordered mayhem," said Lt. Mike Towner of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue. "There were ... two dozen motorcycles scattered across the freeway."

Two bikers with critical injuries were flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center and OHSU Hospital in Portland. Seven other crash victims with less serious injuries were taken by ambulance.

Northbound lanes at Milepost 282, near the Baldock Rest Area, were shut down at 2:45 p.m., then remained closed for more than an hour, backing up traffic for more than seven miles. Southbound traffic also experienced delays.

The bikers were heading north to take part in the Portland chapter's annual birthday bash and a weekend demolition derby, according to one law enforcement official.

Lt. Gregg Hastings, Oregon State Police spokesman, said 26 motorcycles were traveling north in the left lane, following a car, when traffic ahead began slowing. The car and the bikers all tried to slow down, but collided, piling up on the road. A vehicle in the middle northbound lane was reportedly struck by one of the motorcycles, Hastings said.

State troopers rushed to the crash scene, along with crews from the Oregon Department of Transportation, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, American Medical Response and fire departments from Canby, Aurora and St. Paul.

Karen Eubanks, TVF&R spokeswoman, said seven crash victims were treated for shoulder and hip injuries and broken bones. Two others were treated but refused to go to a hospital.

Police estimate membership of the Brother Speed Motorcycle Club at more than 100 in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Utah. The club, founded in 1969, is one of six in Oregon identified by the state Department of Justice as an outlaw biker gang.

Members of the club wear black and gold colors that depict a grinning, winged skull wearing a helmet and motorcycle goggles. The bulk of the club's Oregon membership meets at clubhouses in Portland and Hillsboro, according to law enforcement sources.

"BROTHER SPEED M/C is a club that is serious about brotherhood, respect, riding fast and building choppers," the club writes on its Oregon Web site.